Expert reviews and ratings

Confession: I always read quest text in MMOs. Always. As a direct consequence of that habit, I'm often left in the dust while my friends pick up a new task, click through the dialog window as quickly as possible, then dart off into the horizon toward...

The human race is fascinated by what lurks in the shadows. It's in our nature. We want to unravel mysteries, uncover secrets, shine a light on the silhouette standing outside our window. And what's more mysterious than a secret society? FunCom's new...

Ever wondered what the world would be like if the supernatural mythologies of the world weren't so mythical? Funcom's new modern-day MMO explores the idea of secret societies and allows players to explore a world where the supernatural is something very...

So what makes a good MMO for you? Does it have to be based heavily around player interaction, with a wealth of content and upgrade opportunities that allow individuals to specialise and act as a cog in a well-oiled destructive machine? Is it raiding or...

Disclaimer: this is by no means the definitive, now-and-forever, all-seeing all-knowing review of The Secret World, because that is impossible. This isn’t a cop-out in case you disagree with me (although it handily doubles as that), it simply means...

Plenty of MMOs are highly anticipated. But only a few succeed. And with The Secret World, Funcom and EA have taken an enormous risk: Not only is this game the result of five years of development and untold millions of dollars, but it breaks the MMO...

12Next »It’s always disappointing to see a new MMO stick religiously to the framework forged by previous games. To its credit, The Secret World pushes further than most, departing from the norm in its setting, its systems and its objectives.It aims...

There's a standard formula for Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games; it's tried and true, and, frankly it would be fair to say a lot of people are getting quite bored with the genre. Here's how it goes: You have a theme; if you have any sense, you...

The Secret World generated a great deal of buzz with its initial announcements – the modern setting albeit one with magic and demons and the like seemed to hit a certain fan nerve, along with some extremely slick video marketing. As time rolled on,...

It's easy to want to fall in love with The Secret World -- from afar, it seems so perfect. Here, at last, is a game that has the guts to throw out the "givens" of MMORPG design, like levels, classes, and traditional talent trees. The very premise is...

I personally hold up two games as being the paragons of MMOs, especially when it comes to getting players quickly involved in the game's plot, and feeling like they're having fun. World of Warcraft, especially now, has really streamlined that early game...